2034
Once again, I present the annual 1st round draft review. This is done for fun based solely on my opinion and my personal player weights. I try to give my honest opinion so don't take it personally...Ive been wrong plenty in the past.. So lets get started and enjoy!
Toronto
2034 1.1
MLB Richard Swan 39/88
Vol 14
6' 0" 245 lbs
Penn State
Toronto selects this can't miss MLB out of Penn State. He is a true 3 down middle linebacker who is a sure tackler, dominant run stopper and has the speed and coverage skills to cover a running back. His high intelligence means he should be wearing the green dot and be the captain of the defense.
Grade A+
Memphis
2034 1.2
SLB Jeffrey Albright 33/77
Vol 12
6' 1" 226 lbs
Boston College
Memphis selects another linebacker with the 2nd pick. Scouts viewed him as the 5th best linebacker in the draft so this pick is sorta a reach but the separation between #1-#5 is slight. He is slightly undersized and lacks the high end speed of some of the other linebackers in the draft but there is no question about his intelligence and versatility. Scouts love his quickness and he can play both inside or outside linebacker.
Grade A-
Daytona
2034 1.3
WR Harold Patterson 35/92
Vol 58
5' 11" 203 lbs
Purdue
Daytona lands the best wide receiver in the draft in Patterson who has elite speed. Scouts feel his potential is off the charts and he has a chance to be a generational type player. He has the ability to get some carries outta the backfield and adds returner skills to his resume. A no brainer.
Grade A+
Atlanta
2034 1.4
RB William Stokes 37/90
Vol 62
5' 11" 216 lbs
California
Atlanta takes Stokes who set records rushing at California. Scouts rank him as the best true running back in the draft. He lacks elite speed or power but his ball carry and pass catching abilities make him a feature back. Some questions remain about how he will transition to the XFL but he has a chance to make an impact.
Grade A-
New York
2034 1.5
FB Garrett Montgomery 31/76
Vol 10
5' 10" 248 lbs
Illinois
A FB going number 5 overall immediately sets off alarm bells but some scouts believe if Montgomery can drop some weight, his combination of speed and power could make him a dominate running back. He is a high character player who should put in the work needed to lose weight and switch positions. His pass catching skills are graded good so he could become a featured back
Grade A
Washington
2034 1.6
SS Monty Flowers 40/87
Vol 10
5' 10" 208 lbs
Vanderbilt
Flowers is the highest rated defensive back in the draft and considered a top 3 pick but he goes to Washington at #6. Washington's draft room must have been shocked he fell so far with his combination of high-end speed and elite cover skills. He immediately becomes CB1 for the team.
Grade A+
Seattle
2034 1.7
MLB Anton Dupree 36/81
Vol 14
6' 0" 247
North Carolina
Dupree was considered by scouts to be the 3rd best linebacker in the draft. Scouts love his size, speed, power and elite intelligence but there are some questions about tackling, run stopping and cover skills. He is a talented physical player who needs to improve in some areas with the potential for greatness.
Grade A
Montana
2034 1.8
LDE John McNeil 35/86
Vol 86
6' 5" 285 lbs
Notre Dame
Montana selects one of the top defensive ends in the draft at number 8. Scouts love his size and power at RDE where he is a dominate run stopper. He has decent speed and quickness and could develop into a pass rusher but his ability to seal the edge and stop the run is a given.
Grade A-
Vancouver
2034 1.9
FS Michael Moller 38/81
Vol 14
6' 1" 200 lbs
Washington
In a draft with few elite defensive backs, Vancouver selects one of the top 5 defensive backs left. Scouts love his size and versatility to play either corner or either safety position. Based on need, Vancouver may use him at corner since safety may be easier to find later in the draft.
Grade A
Arizona
2034 1.10
RB William Milligan 36/77
Vol 86
6' 0" 217 lbs
Texas Tech
With the tenth pick of the draft, Arizona selects this RB out of Texas Tech. Scouts viewed him as late 1st rounder to 2nd round pick so this pick comes as a surprise. He has good size, strength and the ability to break tackles but he has average speed, ball carry and ball security. He may be a reach since the team lacks a starting running back.
Grade B-
Tampa Bay
2034 1.11
MLB Richard Burmeister 40/85
Vol 64
6' 0" 256 lbs
Memphis
Scouts had Burmeister ranked the 2nd or 3rd best potential linebacker in the draft so Tampa gets him at number 11 and the 4th LB taken. His potential is great with the only strike against him being his speed which is great but not elite level. A steal here considering previous selections.
Grade A
Michigan
2034 1.12
WR John Rist 29/78
Vol 38
5' 10" 205 lbs
Norwich
In a draft with a weak class at WR, Rist is considered the 2nd best wide receiver in the draft. He has high end speed but comes out of a small program and some questions about his size and ability to make the leap to the pros still exist. If he can make the transition, he could be a playmaker for Michigan.
Grade A-
Pittsburgh
2034 1.13
FS Benjamin Preas 35/70
Vol 12
5' 11" 203 lbs
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh takes this local kid out of Pittsburgh but it's a head scratcher to most scouts. Preas was considered a 2nd round talent even in a small defensive back class. He is a hard hitting safety but lacks speed and solid coverage skills. Time will tell if Pittsburgh's scouts see something in Preas that other scouts missed.
Grade B-
Gem City
2034 1.14
LDE Douglas Vaughn 48/84
Vol 84
6' 3" 264 lbs
Nebraska
Vaughn was considered one of the top defensive ends in the draft. His size, power and speed along with his run defense and pass rush abilities are pro ready now with run to grow. If he doesn't improve at all, he is a starter in this league and has the potential to be a star.
Grade A
Providence
2034 1.15
DT Laurence Meredith 39/86
Vol 30
6' 2" 305 lbs
Kentucky
The first true defensive tackle comes off the board at number 15. Meredith is a 3 down nose tackle with exceptional size, strength and elite speed for his size. Not only is he a run stopper but a real pass rusher. Scouts see him as the best defensive tackle in the draft and 1 of only 2 1st round takents.
Grade A
Denver
2034 1.16
MLB Jason Steele 36/77
Vol 60
6' 1" 238 lbs
UTEP
Steele is seen as one of the top 6 linebackers in the draft and considered a 1st round talent. The separation between those 6 comes down to speed, size and intelligence plus tackling, cover skills and run stopping. He may not be the highest rated but is considered a very talented versatile player.
Grade B+
Los Angeles
2034 1.17
CB Kevin Wilson 29/86
Vol 56
6' 0" 203 lbs
Notre Dame
Wilson is the highest rated CB in this year's draft and LA must be doing a dance in their war room after he falls to #17 in the 1st round. Wilson combines great speed and quickness with advanced cover skills with high football I.Q. to have the potential to be a CB1 in this league.
Grade A-
New England
2034 1.18
QB Bob Cunningham 32/75
Vol 18
6' 3" 215 lbs
Clemson
New England drafts Randal Cunningham's nephew with the #18 pick. Bob has a great combination of intelligence, accuracy, vision and look off defense all in the above average range. While he lacks his uncles speed, he is good at scrambling in the pocket to buy time to find the open receiver. While he may never reach the heights of Randals career, he should be a starter in this league.
Grade B+
Kansas City
2034 1.19
FS Walter Castle 37/82
Vol 28
5' 11" 200 lbs
Clemson
In a slim defensive back class, Castle is a nice pick with good speed, intelligence and cover skills. He is versatile and his smarts and hard hitting style makes him a candidate to play either safety position or possibly he could move to corner.
Grade A-
Houston
2034 1.20
RG Glenn Nance 25/82
Vol 6
6' 2" 323 lbs
East Carolina
The 1st offensive lineman goes to Houston at #20. He has the size to play either tackle or guard and brings great speed with above average strength to eventually start or be a versatile swing man.
Grade B+
Carolina
2034 1.21
SS Robert McCool 39/78
Vol 68
5' 10" 212 lbs
Northwestern
Carolina selects one of the few remaining highly ranked defensive backs. McCool may lack the high-end speed to play cornerback but he is a hard hitting tackling machine with good cover skills and it should translate to safety at the next level.
Grade B
Vegas
2034 1.22
CB Charles Russell 24/68
Vol 12
6' 0" 224 lbs
Purdue
Scouts love this corners size and speed and believe he could be a big safety or gain some weight and play outside linebacker where he can use his coverage skills along with his defense run stopping and tackling abilities. He is a tweener with upside and it will interesting to see where Vegas ultimately uses him.
Grade B+
Miami
2034 1.23
LDE Malcolm Thomas 35/85
Vol 54
6' 5" 266 lbs
Florida State
Miami uses their first of 2 back to back picks to select this powerful defensive end with strong run stopping and pass rushing skills. A nice pick up at this point of the draft.
Grade A-
Miami
2034 1.24
C John Templeton 40/86
Vol 56
6' 3" 292 lbs
Michigan State
Miami uses the 2nd of 2 back to back picks to select the best center in the draft. Templeton should be a starter in the XFL and has the strength and blocking skills to play anywhere on the line.
Grade A
Michigan
2034 1.25
RB Ken Ewen 32/75
Vol 46
5' 10" 212 lbs
Pittsburgh
Ewen is a RB with good hands who may be better transitioning to WR in the XFL. If he stays at RB, he will be a definately threat in the passing game but issues with ball security may limit his carries.
Grade B+
Oakland
2034 1.26
DT Jack Hairston 35/73
Vol 34
6' 2" 302 lbs
California
Oakland selects only the 2nd defensive tackle to go in the 1st round. Hairston has the prototypical size for the position but is know more for his great speed then power at the position. While he may not be a great nose tackle, he should excel in pass rush in 4-3 defensive sets.
Grade B+
Dakota
2034 1.27
SS Jack Easterly 38/81
Vol 36
6' 1" 217
Arizona State
Dakota must have been surprised this big defensive back fell to them at number 27. His size, speed and intelligence coupled with his good cover skills and hard hitting tackling make him a nice versatile find who can play corner in a pinch.
Grade A-
St. Paul
2034 1.28
RB Bradley Pickett 33/77
Vol 38
6' 0" 211 lbs
Tulane
The Punishers select this powerful back out of Tulane. He has decent speed but he makes up for it with his power running style between the tackles. He is a good short yardage back and adds some pass catching skills to the mix.
Grade B
Cincinnati
2034 1.29
WR Scott McKenzie 33/84
Vol 98
6' 0" 216 lbs
Michigan
McKenzie isn't known for his speed but scouts love his pass catching, route running and ability to get off the jam at the line of scrimmage. If he can transition his game to the XFL and reach his potential, he could be a number one wide receiver.
Grade B+
Zehlendorf
2034 1.30
RB Tim Curry 38/74
Vol 8
5' 10" 211 lbs
Louisiana State
Zehlendorf selects this 2nd round talent late in the 1st round. A slower, lumbering back with great hands and the ability to make plays in the passing game, he may be better suited as a wide out or maybe a 3rd down back in passing situations.
Grade C
Seattle
2034 1.31
RG Jason Lollar 33/73
Vol 30
6' 3" 320 lbs
Louisville
Lollar has great size, speed and strength and is considered a bulldozer when it comes to run blocking but questions about his pass blocking dropped his draft stock.
Grade B-
Texas
2034 1.32
RB Michael Durkin 25/69
Vol 44
6' 3" 246 lbs
Louisville
The defending Champs take the 2nd straight player out of Louisville. He is a former FB/TE type player that they feel can transition to running back in the XFL. With some weight lose, he could approach elite speed and has all the necessary attributes to become a great back. The only question scouts have is his ball security since he had issues with fumbles in college.
Grade B
Sorry for the delay wrapping this up as real life and other MFN things got in the way. Hope everyone enjoyed it.
Thanks
CJ
